A Story of Redirection by the Spirit

Acts 16: Paul, Silas, Timothy, and later Luke, are on the road, visiting church plants, as well as starting new churches. The Holy Spirit is guiding them in where to go, kept from some places, but sent to others.

They are headed to Bithynia… but the Spirit of Jesus will not allow them to go in that direction. So they head to Troas. In Troas, Paul has a vision in the middle of the night.

It’s the vision of a man from the region of Macedonia begging Paul to come to Macedonia and help them.

And Paul, obedient to the vision, leads his team to the city of Philippi, the leading city in the first area of Macedonia that they encounter.

I imagine that Paul and his companions are on the lookout for the man from his God-given vision. Perhaps Paul had some clear description from his vision of who they were looking for (dark hair? average height?), perhaps he didn’t. But he did have one characteristic clear from his vision: they were looking for a man.

Except they weren’t.

They are in Macedonia for several days, and I’m guessing they are wondering where this man of invitation is. On the Sabbath, they head on outside the gates of the city to a place where they have heard that people meet to pray. Perhaps there is great expectation that finally they will connect with the “man from Macedonia” who has been praying that they will come.

But the gathering is filled with women, not men. 

It would have been culturally understandable if Paul and his team told the women about Jesus, baptized them when they responded, explained they were looking for a man to lead the charge in Philippi, and focused their attentions somewhere else. “We’ll get back to you once we have our man in place!” would been have understood, expected. I mean — they had a clear vision from God to follow, right?

But something strange happens. 

Acts 16: 13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. (NIV)

A woman by the name of Lydia, a businesswoman, with clear persuasive leadership skills, has some pointed  requests: 

*Let’s get this message to my whole household (probably including the many that worked for her). 

*Once they believe, let’s get them baptized. 

*Paul and team? Come and stay at my house. 

Often, you can tell if someone has leadership gifts by the questions they ask. Lydia’s bringing the gospel to her household, seeing that they were all baptized, and her request to locate this new movement in her home, shows her clear strategic thinking. 

And these men, who have been looking for the MAN from Macedonia … say YES to this woman.

In saying yes to Lydia, the first church in (what is now) Europe is born. The church that meets at Lydia’s. This new movement in the city of Philippi, in the region of Europe, would now be identified as being launched in the home and business of an influential woman. 

It would seem that the man from Macedonia, the man who is praying to the Lord, asking for Him to reveal Himself, praying for Him to move… was actually a woman. 

And Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke… all say “yes” to this unexpected twist in the story.

I wonder how often we get stuck in thinking we’ve clearly heard from God, but then don’t stay open to the twist in His plot and therefore miss the movement of His Spirit?